Rory McIlroy will head into the weekend within touching distance of the lead at the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down.
The Holywood star added a second-round 70 to his opening 68 to sit at four-under-par overall, two strokes adrift of sole leader Matteo Manassero.
Playing the back nine first, McIlroy enjoyed a steady round with just the one birdie and two bogeys, but his day did burst into life - albeit briefly - when he rolled in a superb eagle put on the first hole, his 10th.
"I would have liked to have taken advantage of the easier conditions this morning," McIlroy admitted.
"Those first nine holes, you're not going to see RCD playing any easier. Then when the sun went it got a little colder and the wind started to come out of a different direction.
"It fooled me on that tee shot on the fourth and five, seven, eight and nine played tricky with that wind.
"But it was just a matter of making sure I was here for the weekend and give myself a chance. Sort of job done for the first two days and turn my attention to the weekend.
"It’s much better than nine years ago here when I was watching the third round on TV. Happy to be here for the weekend and happy to give myself a chance."
EAGLE for Rory McIlroy! The Holywood man is now two shots back in a tie for second place after 10 holes of his second round.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 13, 2024
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Overnight leader Manassero leads on six-under par, one stroke clear of English pair, Laurie Canter and Todd Clements in a tie for second place.
The Italian recorded two eagles on Friday, including at the first hole which kicked off a blistering start with further birdies arriving at the second and third.
While he bogeyed the fourth, he subsequently climbed to seven-under par early on the back nine, after an extraordinary approach left him with a tap-in eagle at the par-5 12th.
Manassero dropped a stroke at the next but scrambled well into the wind down the stretch to post an impressive 66 and retain his one stroke lead heading into Saturday.
The 31-year old, who burst onto the scene in the early 2010s before a precipitous decline later in the decade, won his first European Tour event in 11 years at the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa last March.
Canter's round began with a bogey on the 10th - his first - but he dropped just one more shot all day and found five birdies to get to five-under-par overall.
Clements, who carded a superb 66 on Thursday, had a more ordinary day on Friday with two bogeys cancelling out his two birdies for an even-par round, leaving him alongside Canter on five-under-par.
Spaniard Alejandro Del Rey briefly led by three strokes at one stage in his second round before a disastrous quadruple-bogey on the par-4 15th saw him tumble back to four-under and a tie for fourth.
Shane Lowry, meanwhile, got himself under par for the tournament with a second-round 69 after opening with 72 on Thursday.
After his round, Lowry told RTÉ Sport: "You're not going to get that golf course any easier than we got it this morning, so I probably could have been a shot or two better.
"It's a lot easier, but still hard! Look at the scoring, people are still not out there shooting five or six under par.
"I feel like I'm back in the tournament. We're going to have a tough day tomorrow - if I can go out and shoot a good score, I'll be right there..."
Lowry, who won the title in 2009 while still an amateur, later added: "I know I can go and give it a run.
"I think it's what the tournament wants and needs. Obviously myself, and Rory is up there. It would be great if the two of us could give it a run on Sunday. You never know.
"It would be nice to go toe-to-toe on Sunday. We'll see. It’s up to me to get myself there. I’m pretty sure he’ll get there anyway."
Seamus Power and Tom McKibbin both carded rounds of 69 on Friday to bring themselves inside the cut line on one-over par.
Two-time PGA tour winner Power withstood two double-bogeys on the eighth and 13th holes, carding six birdies, including four on the inward nine to book a tee-time for Saturday and Sunday.
Seamus Power makes a big, big putt that looks like ensuring he'll be around for the weekend. Also on the right side of the cut line is 17-year-old Sean Keeling, who goes into the third round on level par.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 13, 2024
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Home favourite McKibbin, playing alongside McIlroy, recorded three birdies, including one at his closing hole, the ninth, to make sure of his place for the weekend, with the projected cut sitting at +2.
Padraig Harrington will not be around for the weekend, the 2007 winner recording four bogeys on his outward nine to card a second round of 74, sitting on five-over par overall.
Simon Thornton, who briefly tied the lead early on Thursday, missed the cut on four-over par despite two late birdies. A damaging double-bogey and bogey on 14 and 15 left the Newcastle resident with too much to do as he carded successive rounds of 73.
The amateur Max Kennedy also missed the cut late on Friday, finishing on +5 after a second round 75.
Conor Purcell (72, 75), Gary Hurley (74, 75) and Mark Power (75, 77) all missed the cut.
Perhaps the performance of the day, however, went to amateur Seán Keeling who sealed his placed in the weekend field with a battling 72 that, coupled with his opening 70, leaves him on level-par overall.
The Roganstown golfer, playing the course the 'other' way round, endured a difficult first nine and turned three-over-par for the day.
But a fine one-under-par 34 on his inward half ensured he would not just make the weekend, but head into Saturday in touch with the leaders.
Watch the Irish Open on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 12.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
